Those Who Walk Away From the Ghost Zone
by Frukechan
Summary: In order for there to be happiness and prosperity within all ghosts, sacrifices must be made by those who were never given the choice. AU. Eventually Pitch Pearl (Fenton/Phantom).
1. The Newborn

Throughout the history of the Ghost Zone and into ancient times, a human child is abducted from their parents at birth and kept until its death. That child is expected to carry the immense burden of all ghosts on its shoulders. By no means is any ghost allowed to treat the child with love or respect. They are expected to ignore the child's existence and pay no mind to it, even if it were to beg at their feet. The only interaction allowed is when each ghost reaches a certain maturity level. At whatever time that maturity level is reached, the ghost is brought to the door and informed of the child's purpose. They are encouraged to enter the room and observe the child. However, contact is strictly prohibited as it's a pleasure not allowed for it to experience. The child can only know misery, fear and loneliness for all its life. If it were to experience any sort of happiness or comfort the balance would be tipped. For it would no longer be able to take on the ghost's misery and anger, plunging every ghost into an unspeakable rage.

In order for those of the Ghost Zone to be able to live a happy and carefree afterlife, one human child must suffer for eternity.

* * *

The Observants all filed into the counsel room, taking their seats anxious to get the Ghost Zone back in order again. It had been an entire decade since the unfortunate _accident_ resulting in the last child's death. With each passing year the ghosts became more violent and obsessive. Many of them traveled to the Human Plane to terrorize whoever they found. As much as they wanted to send their catcher, Warden, out to snatch any newborn child, it was common knowledge among them that they couldn't The only thing they could do was wait for the sign of the new child's birth. Since not just any child could handle their burden.

"We will not be able to wait much longer." One eyeball exclaimed, slamming his fist onto the surface in front of him.

"It is true!" Another one agreed. "We ghosts cannot function much longer without a new child. Many have already become consumed by their obsession. Without the human to impose their frustration and disappointments upon-"

"Surely you understand that we must wait for the moment to come to us. As it always has." An Observant from the other side of the row yelled, cutting off the one before him.

"Perhaps we should request details from Clockwork?"

"So you suggest wasting our time!"

"No. I merely am suggesting an alternative-"

"Never before has he ever disclosed any information regarding the child with us. Why would he now?" All at once it seemed that everyone of the Observants began arguing with each other. Throwing as many intellectual ideas and heavy critiques they could around the room. Not a single one noticing the signal they were looking for begin to form in the middle of the room. It took the cry of a baby to halt the argument and silence the room. The silence lasted only a few moments before they sprang into action, giving commands left and right.

"The newborn is here! Send him to fetch the child!"

"Summon Frostbite immediately!"

"With haste!"

* * *

The catcher entered the Human Plane through the first natural portal available. Warden was a particularly grotesque ghost. He wore old bloody spec ops clothing with rips all over the clothe from his time of death. With many oozing scars on his body and only one present eye, every couple unfortunate enough to have their child targeted was terrified by his mere appearance. Both parents frozen by fear as Warden arrived, allowing him to get in and get out quickly with the child in hand, leaving the parents to wallow in their anguish. However, with the human's rapidly expanding technology came new careers. Little did he know that when he arrived at Amity Park's maternity wing, the parents of the new savior were beginning ghost hunters.

He had only minutes until his return portal would appear. Before taking another step, he forced himself invisible. When he entered the room of Jack and Maddie Fenton, little Daniel was asleep in his mother's arms. Jack was asleep in a chair that was pulled right up against the bed. Maddie held her baby boy with the utmost love and the sweetest smile on her face. Warden silently floated over to the clear side of the bed and quickly plucked the boy from his mother's arms.

Almost immediately Maddie yelled, "GHOOST!" and pulled out a mini ecto-gun from beneath her pillow. She pointed it at the air above her baby's head. Seconds later Jack Fenton awoke and clumsily pulled out his own weapon. But neither of them moved a muscle past that. They wouldn't be able to live with themselves if they hit Daniel. The ecto-beams may not cause excruciating pain as would a ghost, but they could still seriously hurt a newborn. Warden turned visible and laughed. The shocked expression on the parent's faces still classic to him.

By this time little Daniel had awoken from his nap. He looked over to his mother and giggled, reaching out for her. Warden took one of his small hands and forced a waving motion before turning intangible and flying through the floor. Barely able to hear the mother's frantic screams over the baby's crying. Warden cradled the child in his arms and flew for the morgue where the return portal appeared right on schedule.


	2. Coming of Age

The child was quickly placed into an Observant's hands and taken off to where it would spend the rest of its life. Little Daniel was stripped of everything he had. For his life's purpose, clothes were too much of a luxury. He wasn't even permitted to keep a blanket. The great steel door opened with a low ominous growling sound. The ghost floated into the room and placed him onto the cold, unforgiving stone floor. The Observant quickly left the room and the newborn behind on its own. He shut the door, sealing the room and the child's fate.

For many days afterwards, a baby's faint cry could be heard from within, never once getting answered. Meanwhile, the ones of The Far Frozen were welcoming a new addition into their family with love.

The ghost child was quickly given his name, Danny Phantom, within days of his arrival. He developed his abilities of ecto-manipulation and Cryokinesis faster than anyone expected. He never developed any enemies since all the anger was constantly placed onto the human within the Observant's 'care.' Danny played with many ghosts in his younger years. The Box Ghost was a constant amusement with an endless box maze to fly through as a toddler and continued to be an amusement in a target sort of way as he grew into a kid. Johnny 13 helped feed his mischievous side by riding around the Zone playing pranks on other ghosts and occasionally in the human world as well. While Johnny was busy with Kitty, Danny followed around whatever ghost would let him. In his early preteens Skulker would take him on short hunting trips. Claiming he'd show Danny "how it's done" only to be beaten to the finish by the ghost child himself.

As years passed, both the human and the ghost child grew. While the ghost child was showered with love, educated and was able to explore wherever he wanted… the human child was still locked in the same room, growing up alone and without ever knowing what it felt like to be loved. He was, however, never forgotten in the Human Realm. Jack and Maddie Fenton not only became world renowned ghost hunters, but also ghost _killers_. A few months after the loss of their son, they returned to their research with a new fire ablaze in their hearts. They successfully completed their own functioning ghost portal in record time; a mere 7 years after the disappearance of their son. Jack and Maddie equally invented numerous weapons meant to permanently eliminate ghosts from existence. Most of which they sold to keep their research going, but made sure to keep a few to themselves.

At the age of 13 Danny was at the necessary level of maturity. He was called to the Observant's realm from his place at The Far Frozen; only told that he needed to get there with haste. Naturally as a sort of father figure, Danny quickly found Frostbite to tell him the news. "What could they possibly want to tell me?" He wondered, flying happily through the air. "I wonder what's so important." He continued to ramble in an excited fashion until Frostbite raised his hand, calling for Danny's full attention.

"Young Phantom, you, as well as all ghosts, are required to learn one of the great secrets of the Ghost Zone at some point in their afterlives. It's typically when they have reached a specific maturity level." Danny had floated down until his feet touched the ground. His excitement diminishing as Frostbite's tone became stricter. "You are to take this issue very seriously. No playing around. Understand?" Danny nodded, unsure what to say, having never seen Frostbite so serious before. "Now go, don't be late." He gave Danny a nudge and a smile as the young spirit flew at his breakneck speed.

Upon arrival he was quickly escorted past the meeting chambers, past the prison and into the depths that housed the forbidden chamber. Danny was soon face to face with a giant door. It was nothing like the other prison doors in the realm. There were no bars, glass windows or openings anywhere. It was as though a thick, steel slab was forced into the empty space in the walls. He made a move to push it open but it wouldn't budge, there wasn't even a handle anywhere to be found. It was then that the Observant escorting him pushed him aside and took out a ring that held a thousand keys. Once the eyeball found the one he was looking for he inserted it straight into the steel slab and turned it.

Danny could hear the mechanisms within the door moving and shifting as it unlocked. The Observant motioned Danny forward, ever so slightly pushing the door open, spreading an eerie sound from the hinges into the air. "What lies within this chamber is what allows us to live with happiness and joy, even during our afterlives." Danny took a cautious step inside, the Observant staying in the doorway.

The first thing Danny noticed was how big the room was. It was twice the size of all the other prison chambers he had seen on his way in. There were no windows or even hints of cracks leading to the outside world. The floor and walls were wet and dripping; a thin fog lingering in the air. What he noticed next was the unusual level of darkness. Even for him, it was almost pitch black. His aura and glowing green eyes acting like a light bulb within the darkness. Had the door been closed, the only light that would have reached inside would've been the smallest sliver of dull light coming from the bottom of the door. It took him a while to find what the Observant had spoken of. In the left corner closest to the door sat a young boy. He had shaggy black hair that fell way past his eyes and was very skinny. The boy was curled up as far back against the wall as he could, his head low, covering most of his features.

"This," The voice, however low and calm, boomed in the immense silence of the room. Both boys flinched at the sudden sound. The Observant continued, gesturing to the boy with his hand "is how we are able to function as we do." The eyeball motioned Danny to observe the boy closer, to take the entire scene in. "This thing exists here to shoulder all the anger and misfortune that every ghost carries. Without it, we would be consumed by our inevitable obsessions and plunged into despair."

After exchanging an uneasy glance with his escort, Danny took a step forward. His white tennis shoes created what seemed like a mini explosion with every step, breaking the already unbearable silence each time. He stopped mere feet away from the boy and looked down at him with a deep pain welling up in his core. His eyes found a chain shackled onto the boy's left ankle. It was connected to the wall only six feet away; the chain links already a little taunt. _This… can't be right_. As soon as the thought came to mind he felt deathly sick. Danny collapsed to his knees, holding one hand over his mouth and clutching his stomach. His breathing was harsh and jagged as he fought for control again.

When the sensation diminished to a dull pain he finally looked up. Glowing green eyes met dark and hollow blue ones. Danny took in every feature of the boy forced to suffer for their happiness. "You…" He reached out and moved a small mass of tangled hair away from the boy's eyes, Danny's fingers brushing gently over the boy's cheek. "…look just like me… except…"

Danny was abruptly jerked back, held by the collar of his black turtle neck. His eyes lingered on the wide blue ones as he was forcibly dragged out. Right before the door closed he saw the boy lean forward, as though hoping for one last look. Once outside the room, Danny was shoved against the wall by his escort. "By absolutely **no** means, are you permitted to touch, talk, or show any positive emotion to that _thing_! You must never interact with it!" Danny flinched under the unusually angry Observant's gaze.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know! I won't make that mistake again." Danny was released from the Observant's hold and stumbled onto his feet. He rubbed his throat absentmindedly, astonished by the amount of emotions shown that are typically unseen from the floating eyes. As they began their trek out Danny couldn't help but ask one question. "If you don't … um… mind me asking… why?"

"Why what? Ah." The eyeball placed a hand on Danny's shoulders. "Because if _it_ ever feels comfort from another being, it will cease to be able to follow its fate." There was a questionable look on the young ghost's face. "You seem skeptical. I can assure you its necessary. Incidents have happened in the past where it has become _tainted_ by another. Without the child's pure being, it was no longer able to live with our burden. Thus, forced to be _taken care of_." The hand resting on Danny's shoulder patted his back, as though dismissing the subject and saying it what nothing to worry about.

The entire way back Danny couldn't help it when his mind lingering back to the boy. He looked like his exact opposite. He couldn't get that fact out of his mind. The way the boy looked at him when he spoke to him, instead of around him. It was like that was the first time someone acknowledged his presence. The Observant's words also stung Danny's core; it felt as though the words twisted an ancient knife stuck in his back.

At the door, Danny was instructed to return to The Far Frozen. As he was hurried out, he caught a glimpse of a group of the ancient ghosts huddled around each other. They sent him looks and appeared to be speaking frantically. When they realized his gaze was on them, they waved a hand and Danny was practically shoved out.

As soon as the young spirit was gone there was a great uproar within the ancient ghosts. An emergency meeting was called and they once again filed into their seats in the main counsel room. While they were all jumpy this time there was no arguing. Only at a time of great crisis did they successfully discuss an issue.

The Observant currently on the stand began. "It's happening sooner than we thought. Much soon then we expected." Nervous murmurs broke out around the room. The speaker raised a hand, directing their attention back. "The only option left is to send him away."

One eyeball stood up, clearly panicked. "Where and with whom? Besides what good will it do us to have him out of our sight?" He slammed his palm onto the surface. "We need to keep him close."

"No we cannot risk that again."

"It's true; it hadn't worked in the past."

"That was ruled out as an option long ago! Save that for some worthless discussion."

"Silence!" The speaker's voice boomed, quieting any chance of a fight forming. "We must try a different approach. One that is sure to surpass our past attempts on an even higher level of success." By then, he had everyone's attention. They all leaned forward in their seats, eager to learn the solution. "We will assign him a mentor, one who knows the situation and whom we can trust. From there Danny Phantom will be sent to the Human Plane for a minimum of a year, in search of his obsession. Once he has acquired an adequate one to occupy his mind, he will be allowed back into the Ghost Zone."

The crowd erupted into applause at the genius plan. Comments of praise and hope echoed throughout the chamber as the plan was set.

The speaker once again raised his hands in an attempt to calm the crowd down. "Now, in terms of his mentor…"

* * *

Needless to say, Clockwork was not too pleased with having the young and overly energetic Danny Phantom thrown into his lap by his employers. Claiming, "You are the only one who knows the severity of the situation as well as we do. You must make sure Danny Phantom finds his obsession."

Clockwork didn't move or even acknowledge the two Observants who came to inform him of his new side job as mentor. Instead he continued to watch the time streams before him as they talked nonstop about details he already knew. The two eyeballs fell silent and soon began to whisper to each other, until one finally came forward. "Clockwork? Have you been listening?"

The image of the future dissolved into the usual green swirl. "All you Observants do, is push your problems onto everyone else. Doing nothing, but observing." Clockwork shifted his scepter in his hand as he phased into a child and faced his annoyances. "I already know what it is young Danny will find in the Human World as his obsession. It matters not who brings him."

"But that's all the more reason for you to be his mentor! You'll know what to guide him to and what to steer him away from." Clockwork gave him what appeared to be a neutral look, but still caused the eyeball to back away.

"I believe what he's trying to say is that other ghosts may focus too much on their own obsession, quickly forgetting their mission with Phantom." This Observant came forward even more, challenging the Master of Time as his employer. "You _will_ take this job Clockwork."

"Fine." The tension building up in his two guests was suddenly released. Clockwork swung his scepter out, pointing it towards the exit. "Now that you've done what you came here for, care to observe the door?"

* * *

"I don't get it." Danny was sprawled on the roof of a building somewhere in the human world. The lights from the city glowed in the darkness, enhanced by the snow clouds that covered the moon. "How am I supposed to figure out what my obsession is?" It had been almost a year since Danny had left the Ghost Zone. For the most part he was left to his own devices, but every few months Clockwork would check in on him and set him on the right track. So far Danny's quest was disappointingly unsuccessful.

"Name the obsessions of ghosts you know." A groan erupted from the young spirit, followed by the soft thud of a scepter hitting his head playfully.

Danny sat up and named the first few that came to his mind. "Skulker's is hunting. The Ghostwriter with his books. Ember's is music. Poindexter and anti bullying. The Box Ghost's obsession is in his name… and yours is keeping track of time and making sure it's on the right path." The latter he said with a smirk, glancing up at his mentor.

Clockwork phased into his adult form. "Alright, alright." He motioned Danny to come over to the edge of the building with him. He gestured to the world and the people walking on the streets below. "During your entire time here, has there not been one lone thought that keeps creeping into your mind?" Danny thought for a moment, unsure what his mentor was getting at. Because he was in the same city for almost a year, his thoughts were relatively the same on a day to day basis. He glanced down at all the people roaming the streets. His eyes glazing over every one of them, each sending him deeper into a kind of trance. "There it is again." Clockwork noted calmly.

Danny jerked back, away from the edge. "What?" He fidgeted as he tried to find something else to focus on. A few tense moments went by and Clockwork still had said nothing more. Danny knew very well the rules of the secret he learned a year ago. Despite being told interest in the subject was forbidden, he carefully working in questions throughout the year when Clockwork would visit. He didn't have any preference on what he was told about the boy, anything sufficed. As long as it was the truth. His curiosity brought him to know who the boy's parents were, basics on what they've been up to since and even little snippets of how his life has been inside that dark empty room. With every new story and bit of information about the boy, the knife in his back twisted. Kept chained to a wall with an anti-human link, never brought food and left alone to suffer in that unbearable silence. Danny was relieved when he was later told how humans don't feel hunger in the Ghost Zone just as ghosts don't in the human world. But nothing was able to comfort him when he thought of the boy locked in the back of the Ghost Zone. There was nothing in the human world that had the power to distract him and prevent his mind from traveling back to that room. As the year passed his desire to go back there and wrap the boy within his arms, reassuring him that 'it'll be ok' began to overwhelm him. He hadn't admitted it yet since the desire alone was considered one of the great taboos of the subject.

Now with Clockwork, the all knowing Master of Time and the ghost who was in frequent contact with the Observants, pressing him on the matter he didn't know what to do. Ashamed for hiding the point of his being here from his mentor, Danny began to simply speak his mind. His desire to get back to the Ghost Zone and see the boy again clouded his vision of what the consequences may be. "Ever since I arrived here, every single human I see makes me think of him." Danny turned away from his mentor.

"Oh?" Clockwork exclaimed, encouraging the young spirit to continue.

"I see all these humans as they walk by. Free to go and do whatever they want. I've seen them frustrated and crying. I watched as a dying woman suddenly started laughing and even smile." He walked over to the edge once more and spread his arms out, gesturing to the world. "The air is clean and the sky is clear and beautiful. Yet, the only thing that comes to mind is 'I wish that boy could see this' or 'if only he was allowed to laugh'. Why must one suffer to such extents for the selfishness of the rest?" Danny started down at the humans on the ground, all completely unaware of anything outside their own joyful lives.

"Yes why indeed." The tone in his mentor's voice made him think of a prophet telling his people a cryptic message that they weren't meant to understand until much later. Clockwork phased into an elder and placed a gentle hand on Danny's head, ruffling his hair. "It seems you've found your obsession. Now what are you going to do about it?"


	3. The Obsession

Within a week Danny Phantom was allowed to return to the Ghost Zone. He spent much of his first few days back to himself. Clockwork assured him that the Observants were satisfied with his fake obsession with space. Danny did enjoy gazing up at the stars, but the boy in the room took over his mind much more than the night sky. With his true obsession clear in his mind, he mapped out what he remembered of the eyeball's realm. How many cell blocks to go past, how many turns he needed to make, how to avoid being seen on his way in and out as well as how to hide himself when confronted by the great steel door once more. He figured since they only go there when a ghost has reached the required maturity level, which wasn't a common occurrence; it'd be alright to simply keep an ear out. The details of getting in and out without tripping anything was something he needed to think over more.

While on a walk with Cujo, Danny had his epiphany. The old saying of 'dogs can't look up', which was a total lie, gave him an idea. _Why would a bunch of eyeballs who believed themselves above the rest enough where they truly believed they could control and manipulate other's fates, look up?_ There was supposedly no one above them in the Ghost Zone. All Danny had to do, as simple as it was, was fly as close to the ceiling as possible. It seemed ridiculous but it was the only plan he had. He wouldn't bring anything with him, knowing fully well there was no way to open the door without the keys. There was also no large enough space to slide anything through, so bringing something for the boy would be pointless.

A few days later Danny was ready to break into the eyeball's realm and see the boy who shared the same time of birth into the world as him.

Danny waited invisible, right outside the overarching door. As he waited for someone to either enter or leave, he wondered for the first time what he'd do once he arrived at the room. Would he be alight just being near him? Should he say something? What would it hurt to strike up what was most likely the boy's first conversation? But, as soon as he interacts with the boy in anyway they'll both be in deep trouble. The jerks of this realm would make sure to kill them both for disrupting the balance, and then proceed to simply fetch another child to fill the new slot. As much as Danny didn't want to allow that to happen, he needed to be close to this boy. It was something he felt deep within his core. Sometimes he wondered if this was truly just a common ghostly obsession or if it was something more. The door opened for someone on their way in and Danny was not far behind.

Once inside, he flew to the top of the ceiling. The ancient ghosts were much calmer than he'd ever seen. They were still all huddled in their own little groups no doubt discussing the numerous boring topics of the Ghost Zone. Danny floated pass them down the corridors. Had he neglected to memorize the map, he would have surely gotten lost. However, he hadn't remembered the path to the room being this long. He was starting to wonder if he took a wrong turn. He was about to make the decision on whether he should go back and try another corridor when he came up to the stairs. He recognized them immediately from his visit over a year ago. With a quick glance around, he plummeted down into the dull darkness.

The light from above vanished, slowly morphing into the darkness that now surrounded him. Danny's core hummed with anticipation, getting stronger and stronger as he flew through the cave-like hallways. His eyes darted around, trying to see past the dead ends. After having to turn back and find a new route several times, he managed to round the corner that the beautiful door that hid the being he didn't know, yet cherished all the same.

He came to a halt right before it. It was then when he realized he didn't know what he was going to say. There wasn't a very good chance the boy would even understand him either, having no one ever teach him a language. He could only hope that the boy remembered his voice from over a year ago. Danny took a few steps back before charging at the door in hopes of passing through it. His body crashed into the steel slab, a loud smack erupting as he made contact with the surface.

From within, the boy had been sleeping soundlessly, curled up in a tight ball. Without a light source to signify day and night he slept whenever his body grew tired. He awoke with a start as the loud noise echoed throughout his prison cell. The boy sat up and scurried backwards until he hit the unforgiving stone wall. He sat there as whatever was on the other side slid down the door until it landed on the floor. Terrified, he refuses to move. An audible exhale of breath filled the silence as the boy coward in the corner, accustom to abuse coming soon after the arrival of a 'guest.' There had been times when he moved to inspect the noises and times when he stayed still, both resulting in the same consequence. However, fear kept him still. The boy leaned forward and wrapped his arms around his legs, resting his head on his knees. Waiting... for anything.

"You're in there, aren't you?" The voice surprised him. He had been expecting one of the green eyeballs to open the door and let something in to scare him. But it was just a voice, nothing more. "Sorry if I woke you." The words were low and unrushed. There was something about the tone that the boy held onto. "I doubt you remember me. I visited you last year… although I'm sure down here time's pretty hard to measure. But I remember you. I had to come back. I had to be near you again. You probably don't even know what the hell I'm talking about… or can even understand me."

What followed was a tense silence. He wasn't sure if he should go over to the door, make a sound or just keep still. The latter won out. So he sat there, terrified and untrusting. For a long time the silence remained, broken only by the boy's staggered breathing. It got to a point where the boy was pretty sure the being had silently left and he started to relax his constantly tense muscles. He ran a hand through his tangled hair, unsure if he should be glad or disappointed that he had a visitor like that. They boy stretched his legs; the chains clamped tightly on his ankle clinked on the floor from the movement. He froze as he heard a shuffling sound on the other side of the door.

Danny had stood up; his muscles ached from sitting in the same position for so many hours. He faced the obstacle in front of him, resting his forehead on the cold steel. "It's not fair for you to be forced to suffer in there your entire life… never once given the chance to choose how your life goes." Danny raised his hands to the door. "You deserve to smile like everyone else." He bent down and slid the tip of his fingers through the crack at the bottom of the door.

This was it. This was the moment the boy had been waiting for. When the being tries to force himself inside by violently banging on the door or attempting to rip it off its hinges. Despite the dark room being his 'home' and eventually his death bed, it also kept him safe from the creatures on the other side of the walls. He watched with absolute terror as a cold mist slowly flowed into the room. As soon as it touched the ground it disappeared. Instead of hurting him, it became a drawing of something he had never seen before. The design fascinated him. He crept closer to it. The design itself and the air around it were cold. As he touched it the design began to fade, turning into a small puddle on the floor.

"I'll come back when I can. I promise." This time the boy knew that the being had left. Its footsteps grew quiet very quickly until they disappeared completely.

* * *

It wasn't like he expected to have some in depth conversation during his first visit. He knew it would take some time to gain the boy's trust. It wasn't going to happen overnight. Especially since he had been tormented his entire life by ghosts who held his fate in their hands… and liked it.

He could barely fit his hand under the door so bringing little trinkets was still a no go. But Danny was determined to bring a little light to that darkness. Every time he went to that room he told a new story of the outside world. He spun tales from his year in the human world. Some were sad, happy, miraculous, funny and irritating. He described with great detail the sun and daylight as well as the moon and the night sky. He talked about his explorations of the Ghost Zone and occasionally its inhabitants. He recalled jokes he'd heard from humans and ghosts. He explained seasons and their weather, trying to convey what it was like to be rained upon or to have a strong wind blow in your face. He rarely spoke about himself, feeling like there were more interesting subjects to present. He talked about anything he could think of. Afterwards, he always created a new design with his Cryokinesis ability that typically related to whatever topic he spoke about. Before leaving he said his usual phrase, "I'll come back when I can." But by then it meant sometime next day.

Danny had already become used to feeling like he was talking to a brick wall by his third visit. While it would have made him ecstatic to get a response once in a while, he was happy nonetheless. He had just created a city skyline to accompany his latest tale when he decided to linger a bit longer. He stayed seated; leaning up against the door. Danny sighed and stood up. "I'll be back whenever I can."

"…come back soon."

The voice seemed to come out of nowhere. It was low and clearly rusty. However, there was no doubt in Danny's mind who it belonged to. After the initial shock the only thing he could do was smile. He was getting through, past the physical barriers that blocked any contact. He was able to give some joy, however small, to the human forever trapped in darkness. "I promise." Full of newfound excitement, Danny flew off, already eager to return.

For every visit that followed, the boy began to slowly contribute more and more to the conversation. The odd feeling of loneliness Danny had when it was just his voice beforehand vanished instantly. With each meeting, the boy inched closer and closer to the door. The being he was talking to was his sole source of comfort; the first and only positive thing in his life. Something he could look forward to everyday. He was quickly able to tell when the voice showed up before they even spoke.

It didn't take long for the boy to open up even more. He talked about himself and the life he'd managed to life thus far. But that only came up if Danny didn't have anything else. It was a topic that the boy obviously preferred to avoid. Instead he wanted be told about the wonders of both worlds, ones he was afraid he'd never be able to witness firsthand.

After a week of consistent visits that tended to last hours at a time, the boy gave Danny a gift of his own. He laughed. It was a light hearted and sweet laugh, probably the first true one he ever had. If Danny still harbored any doubts about what he'd been doing the past few months, it all came to a halt. Hearing that whole hearted and innocent sounding laugh finalized his doubts, knowing that the boy had to be smiling in the darkness made the sneaking, the secrecy and all the lies worth it.

To Danny, progression and change in the boy was clear at that point. He was finally at a point where his life wasn't full of constant misery. However, that change became vividly clear to the Fate Holders. They saw changes in his behavior, expressions and even posture. Even some of the ghosts had started showing slight bursts of negative emotions.

The door as abruptly shoved open. Frantic and panic stricken, two Observants swiftly enter the room. At first they ignored the boy who quietly stayed in the corner. They immediately began inspecting the room for any foreign object that didn't belong; which was anything. After double checking the room, they floated towards the cowering boy. One Observant grabbed his ankle chain and yanked it forward, forcing him away from the wall. The eyeball grabbed the boy's arm, pulling it closer so he was forced to sit up and wouldn't be able to shy away from them. They held his head still, inspecting every line on his face. The common tear marks had faded ever so slightly. He had new lines by his eyes, ones that were unrelated to the heavy bags under his eyes. Laugh lines. "Look." One pointed out the evidence as if it explained everything.

"Who is conversing with you? Tell us!" Yelled the one who had the boy in his grip.

"Don't bother. It's not like he can understand or legibly answer back. It's a waste of time. Besides, there are other ways to find out." The boy was terrified, unable to escape the eye's grasp. All of a sudden he was thrown back. His body landed hard on the stone. Fearful of invoking anymore wrath he dared not move until they left. He watched with baited breath as they slowly floated back out. "We can simply call in Walker and have him set up-"

"Wait, you don't suppose it could be Phantom, do you?"

"Don't be ridiculous, we already took care of that. He's been too busy satisfying his obsession in the human world." The door clicked and he was alone once more.

* * *

It had been a quiet night. No one went in and, of course, no one came out. The prison guard had originally been thrilled when he was given such a high level assignment. To be trusted with such an immensely important task was an honor for the lowly guard. But after numerous hours of watching an uneventful screen, he had lost his excitement. Needless to say, when someone actually did appear, his attention skyrocketed. Curiosity made him wait and see what the little white haired ghost was going to do before contacting his boss. "What are you up to?"

"You awake?" Danny had arrived at the door with an excited air about him, one that could be easily heard in his voice. The same could not be said for the boy.

The boy tapped twice on the door before leaning against it. Two other taps followed almost immediately. "You're late..."

Danny couldn't help but laugh at the playful tone, replying with one of his own. "Sorry darling." They both laughed that time. It wasn't long before their laughter calmed into a short silence.

"It's getting worse..."

Danny could hear the boy shuffling around, curling up against the door. He leaned his head against the door, "What happened?"

"They came again, a little while after you left last time. Then... then there was so much noise. No matter what I did I couldn't block out the sounds. When I went towards the door, one of them came in. It wasn't one of the eyeballs... and he..." His voice had stopped, replaced with the unpleasant sound of soft crying. Danny's throat felt like it was closing in on itself. He longed for nothing more than to hold this boy in his arms and say 'it'll be OK'. He put his hand against the door, wishing it could go through the ghost-made material and pull the boy out.

A moment passed and Danny felt something in his hand, he quickly realized it was the boy's hand. The first thing Danny noticed was how perfectly their palms fit against each other. He slowly closed his fingers around the boy's hand, interlacing their fingers together. The hand was luke warm against his cold skin. "I don't know how much longer I can take of this Danny..." The boy choked out. There was a pang in his core as the hand that held his so desperately began to tremble.

The prison guard shot up in his chair as he watched the events unfolding on the mini screen. "We've got you now!" He paused the video feed at that moment, intending to use it as evidence if need be. He bolted out of the closet sized room and flew rapidly down the hallway.

The guard burst into Walker's office. "Sir!" The guard stopped and moved to attention. Walker was sitting at his desk going through paperwork. When he looked up the guard continued, "Someone has made contact." Walker put down his pen and raised an eyebrow as if to ask 'who?' "Although the image was blurry, I am confident it was Danny Phantom, Sir!"

Walker placed his hands on his desk and stood, pushing his chair behind him. He walked to the low ranked guard he had sentenced to what he thought was a hopeless task that would never actually give them the identity of the betrayer. "Good work soldier. I'll take it from here." Walker left his office and continued down the hall with an aura of authority.

"I wish there wasn't these barrier's between us. That I wasn't stuck inside this room... but able to see the things you've seen and experience something other than... this." Danny's chest tightened.

"I know." Danny rubbed his thumb back and forth over one of the boy's fingers. "Trust me; I won't let you rot in there." He gently squeezed the boy's hand and received a light one back. "I promise." They both leaned further against the door, trying in vain to be just a little bit closer.

"Well, well, if it isn't little Danny Phantom." The boy could hear a pair of boots click on the floor tiles, getting closer with each sound.

He felt the hand in his twitch and heard a sharp intake of breath from its owner. "Danny? What's wrong?"

"...Walker..." He recognized the name from Danny's stories. The Ghost Zone's warden. The one who puts away ghosts who break the law and makes sure they never do it again. He wasn't quite sure if that was Danny's response or not. But what he was sure of was that Danny was terrified. This time it was Danny's hand that shook. He tightened his grip around Danny's hand as he listened to his breathing increase with every passing second.

"It's against the rules for you to even be here Phantom." Danny slowly moved his hand behind his back as Walker spoke. "Speaking to it, amusing it and filling its head with nonsense-"

"None of it is nonsense! And he isn't an 'it'!" As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted it. The expression on Walker's face told him just how screwed he was. He couldn't help but shrink back against the door.

Walker smirked, his face cast in shadows as he towered over the young spirit. "Contact is also against the rules, Phantom." Danny's eyes grew wide just as Walker snapped his fingers.

From the shadows behind him, a group of four prison guards emerged. Danny twisted around, hooking his free hand under the door. One of the ghosts grasped his legs and pulled to no prevail. "Now, now, don't make this hard on yourself Phantom."

Danny clung to his spot. He looked over his shoulder at Walker who stood confidently with his arms crossed. "Please... try to hold on just a little longer." He whispered to the boy.

Danny was suddenly jerked back from his waist. He looked up and saw Walker looming above him. "This has gone on far enough Phantom." Walker raised one of his legs and slammed his heel into Danny's elbow. There was a loud crack accompanied with a shriek. On reflex his hand release its grip from the door, his other still intertwined with the boy's. Walker kicked Danny onto his back, "Don't make me break the other one." Danny held his arm close to his chest, the healing process already kicking in. Walker moved to Danny's other side and stepped onto his wrist, slowly pivoting his foot in order to force the hand loose from the boy's. "Get him out of here." The guards swarmed, one took Danny's injured arm while the second took his other arm, finally prying their hands apart. They dragged Danny away from the human's prison kicking and screaming. Walker motioned towards the remaining guards to finish the task before he left with the traitor.

The last two guards opened the door, coming face to face with the surprised and absolutely terrified human. He stumbled backwards as the two ghosts entered the room, closing the door behind them. Danny could still hear the screams and pleads for his help as he was dragged out of the darkness.

* * *

Danny flinched as the sound of the gavel echoed throughout the room. Everyone around him stood for attention. "Ghost Zone against Danny Phantom, now in session." Danny lifted his head and glanced around for the first time. The room was a perfect circle, with him in the middle. There were rows of desks arranged in increasing height just like bleachers and not a single seat was empty. The one exit was blocked by two of Walker's goons. Walker himself was a ways in front of him, right below the judge's stand, holding his arms confidently behind his back. Danny tried to stand but was prevented from doing so by chains clamped tightly on his wrists, forcing him to stay on his knees. Had he stretched out his fingers he would have been able to touch the floor. "Charges are: interacting with it, verbally and physically as well as introducing it to happiness and joy." All the Observant's in the room gasped and hissed, trying to show their disgust for such vial acts. "Evidence of this can be seen from the behavior of a few of our ghost brethrens, eye witness accounts by Walker and his guards and its behavior."

A few of the Observant's called out, their rage consuming them. "Unforgivable!"

"Put him away forever!"

"Madness!"

From within the shouts for justice, a low devilish laugh shook Danny's shoulders. One by one, the Observant's grew quiet as the laughter grew louder until it was the only sound in the room. The eyeballs watched as the white haired spirit shook with laughter, shaking his head side to side. He abruptly threw his head back, tears dancing down his face in the light. He lightly tugged at his restraints again. Danny leaned forward and quickly crossed his arms, lengthening the chains enough to stand. When he did, many of the Observant's jerked back in fright. "You've GOT to be KIDDING me!" Danny continued to tug wildly at his restrains as he yelled. "You jerk offs act as though what I did was the worst taboo ever committed!" Danny's core pounded in his chest. Ice began to form by his hands and feet, crawling down the chains and across the floor. "How can you sit by and watch with such enthusiastic smiles as he suffers cold and alone? Don't you feel anything?" At that point, everyone could see their breath. "You're all just a fucking bunch of heartless bastards!"

"That. Is. Enough!" The gavel smacked against the surface once more and a long volt of electricity was shot up the chains. As Danny screamed, the Observant's relaxed into their seats again. Once the judge thought it was enough, he released the trigger button and Danny collapsed on the ground. "I will have order, young Phantom." Danny lifted his head, glaring daggers at the Head Observant.

"You... you can't just leave him there alone. He needs someone. Anything but what he has now. Some sort of daily interaction." He struggled through every syllable as he spoke, electricity still lingering in his nerves.

Walker stepped forward. He grabbed a handful of Danny's hair and forced his head up. "Then how about you just join him?" Danny couldn't help but look away, guilt eating at him.

"That wouldn't do." Walker let go of the young ghost's hair and stood to his side. "Only a human can carry our burden. A companion would only lessen its ability to do so. It cannot and will not be done."

Danny spat out a clump of green blood. "Why him?"

"The boy was born pure. Untainted by anything in his world. In fact, even if we plucked him from his parents' a few years after his birth, he'd still be just as pure." The Head Observant spoke with a light joyous tone, those around him nodding in agreement. "His unconscious internal wish is 'to save'. His spirit chose this on its own."

"You can't assume total bullshit like that!" Another bolt of energy was shot into his system.

"SILENCE!" The now annoying sound of the gavel crashed through the room. Irritated and exhausted, he could barely struggle under Walker's foot against his back. He felt his restraints loosen; only to be hastily replaced by what he assumed was a pair of energy-handcuffs. "You will learn your place in our world or suffer the consequences young Phantom!" Danny was quickly lifted onto his feet by his shoulders as the gavel came down for the last time.

A/N - I had a surprisingly hard time writing the last bit of this chapter. I hope it's still OK. Thank you for the feedback I've gotten so far. It really keeps me going :)

Don't expect such regular updates in the future. Hope you liked it.


	4. Escape from the Ghost Zone

The whip cracked down once more across his exposed back, splitting the skin. Air rushed through his teeth as the muscles seized under his skin, causing his back to arch painfully. Ectoplasm rushed to the wounds and poured down his back. With every rift through the air, a new welt appeared on his skin. Each one sent waves of agony throughout his body. He clenched his teeth against each lashing, clutching his restraints in a death grip; the only things keeping him up. Any thoughts that ran through Danny's mind were ripped apart like his skin with each strike. Only hope that it would end consistently occurred to him through the pain. But each time, it too, was driven away.

Danny had long lost the will to keep his head up, too exhausted to even obey his reflexes when the whip came down again. His head rested on his shoulder as dull green eyes gazed lifelessly into the pools of ectoplasm that soaked the floor. His body convulsed within the restraints as blood spewed from his mouth, splattering onto the stone beneath his feet, adding to the pool.

Cold liquid dripped from his mouth, creating ripples that fanned out in the pools. Danny watched as his reflection blurred with every drop. His mind was in a haze, slowly lagging through his thoughts. He had lost count of how many lashings he received versus how many he was supposed to get, although he was pretty sure they didn't quite match up.

Reflected in his own blood, he watched as Bullet raised the whip once more.

"That's enough."

Reluctantly, Bullet lowered it.

"Perhaps now young Phantom has learned his lesson?" Danny kept staring into the mirror, watching with no amusement as the boy on the green stone floor became distorted. The Head Observant continued without missing a beat, "Good. Walker, Bullet. You two will relocate to _its_ quarters to put an end to this hindrance. Make sure he stays alive."

Chains appeared around the boy in the blood and something clicked in Danny's mind. _They're going to do the same to him!_ Danny forced his head up and made eye contact with the Head Observant. He sat in front of Danny in the stands along with hundreds of other onlookers arrogantly watching with joyous anticipation.

"Please," Danny choked out, barely even a whisper. His voice a rough, gurgling sound. His body shook as he tried not to cough more blood. He swallowed his pain, mustering up the strength to gain their attention. "Please!" The room, originally filled with a dull roar of chatter grew quiet until only Danny's heavy breathing could be heard. "You... can't—don't touch him!" Every syllable clawed at his throat as he spoke.

"How dare you tell us how to handle your transgression! Punishment will not be withheld!" The crowd roared in agreement. "You both knew the consequences of the sin you committed. You knew what lay at the end of the road you took. Now you both must suffer the outcome."

Danny glared into the eye of the Head Observant. "I won't let you hurt him! Not anymore!"

The ghosts in the room burst out laughing. Enraged, Danny began to summon an ectoblast. As soon as the energy solidified in his hands the chains shocked him and sucked the energy from his hand. Danny glanced around the room, watching as their shoulders shook with mirth.

"There's nothing to worry about brethren, he can't even get out of those simple chains!"

"Probably too weak to anyway."

"To think little Phantom thought he could actually threaten our power. What a foolish and naive boy."

With every ruthless comment Danny felt smaller and smaller, but was unable to shrink away. Yet, as they continued his rage grew. "...Stop..." He hung his head, refusing to give them his direct attention.

"We're at the top, Danny Phantom. How foolish to think you would get any headway in your ridiculous plight."

"He should consider the consequences quite fortunate. Had he tainted the boy any further, punishment would have been death for them both."

"I can't believe we've been on this one for so long. We should have started on the other long ago."

Danny clenched his fists. He couldn't believe he was hearing this. Didn't humans turn into ghosts after their death? One would think they would have at least some compassion for the boy who'd eventually become one of their own.

"Listen to me you egotistical maniacs! If you give him any sort of punishment similar to this, you'd kill him!" Danny shouted. "He can't heal as quickly as I—we can." He smirked at the Head Eyeball. "And you wouldn't want to have to wait until another child is born. Which, if I remember correctly, took ten years this time?"

The judge stared back at him, contemplating his decision. "And what is it you think you can propose?" A few eyes around him shot up in their seats wanting to complain about giving the young spirit a chance. The judge quickly raised a hand and silenced them.

Danny took a deep breath and exhaled nervously. "Let me take on his punishment. As long as it's agreed that you won't lay a single finger on him and that he stays unharmed." He was silent as he waited anxiously for their answer. Although he wasn't looking forward to what he suggested, it was an act he was willing to take. If they rejected it, he didn't know what he was going to do. He didn't ever want the boy to scream in terror like he did when they were caught.

The Head Observant cleared his throat. Danny looked up just as the Observants around the judge leaned back in their seats. "Young Phantom." Danny's core pounded inside his chest as he listened. "Your proposal has been rejected by the High Counsel of the Ancients. Punishment shall go as planned."

Danny froze. At first not sure if he had heard them right. _I'll do anything._ His mouth formed the syllables but his voice never came into existence.

If the Observants had visible mouths he imagined they'd all be smirking. "But, since you clearly want more..." The judge motioned at Bullet who came forward from the edge of the room. Danny managed to turn his head far enough to see the enthusiastic grin on the ghost's face. His eyes were locked on the sinister smile, unable to look away.

As though it had never happened, the whipping began once more, striking his previous wounds without remorse. Shock kept him still and mentally disconnected. He wasn't sure if the heat inside him was from the pain of each lash or if it was from the anger boiling inside him until a low growl began in the back of his throat. He closed his eyes as he summoned energy through his system, beginning to thrash. Immediately, he could feel the shocks becoming longer and harsher the more he struggled. Danny hadn't even noticed the lashes had stopped.

With a twitch of his body, ice shot out at an unsettling speed from his feet. It travelled along the floor until it hit the edge of the stands. The Observants shrieked in alarm. The ones on the lower levels, closest to the ice, jumped out of their seats and into the air. Ice engulfed the chains holding Danny's wrists. He jerked his arms down, shattering the restraints. Every ghost was on edge as they watched the young spirit. Danny stretched his back, adjusted his shoulders and cracked his neck before finally opening his eyes again. The Head Observant leaned forward, gazing into Danny's eyes. He watched with horror as the once green irises' faded to a menacing deep red. "Take him away this **instant**!" Even as Walker and Bullet contained Phantom, the boy continued to wear his infamous diabolical grin. "It's happening like we feared..."

* * *

Escorted by an unnecessary abundance of guards and locked with his hands behind his back in high security cuffs, Phantom calmly walked past the rest of the imprisoned ghosts. He peered into each jail cell, at each ghost within. Some cowered under his gaze and tried without prevail to get out of sight. Others simply made great efforts to ignore him as he passed by. One reached out from the imprisonment and grabbed Phantom's arm. He was tugged into the bars where the ghost held Phantom's chin with his free hand.

The prisoner stared into the deep red with wonder. "...you've finally returned to us?" Phantom said nothing as he kept his neutral expression throughout the whole event. "You never were one to-" Ice crept onto the ghosts' hands, quickly taking over his arms and froze him where he stood. Phantom smiled at the terrified look on the ghosts' face. With a quick jerk of his arm, he broke of the hand holding him and kicked the rest of the heap farther into the cell. The ice began to thaw with wisps of red entering the air.

The guards promptly surrounded Phantom, bringing him back to the center of the hall, towards his own personal cell. They opened the cell door and cautiously pushed him inside. As soon as the cuffs were removed, Phantom made to turn around when a sharp shock entered his system.

"Sleep tight, demon," one of the guards spat as Phantom fell to the ground. After locking the only way in or out, the guards set up shifts for watches and left for their tasks.

_...ny... Danny? ...Danny!_ The young spirit awoke with a start, sitting straight up. Almost immediately he regretted the action as his wounds awoke with the movement and alerted him to their burning presence. Danny grit his teeth as he stood. He slowly walked over to the bars, hunched over and holding his sides. "Excuse me?" The guard moved his head to the side, presenting his ear. "Where am I?"

At first Danny wasn't sure if the guard was actually laughing or not. "You are being kept here so you are unable to interfere. Worry not, as soon as your wounds heal more, you'll be released and returned home, little one."

Danny's green eyes scanned the surroundings as he retreated to the back of his cage. There wasn't anything special about the cell he was placed in, except it was fairly isolated from the main holding area. Underneath his skin felt as though it had been set ablaze, the muscles on his back twitching from his sudden activity. Despite the fog clouding his mind the guard's words finally set in. _Interfere? …The human!_

It didn't take long for Danny to hatch a plan of escape. He waited anxiously until the next shift change, since it wouldn't be the same ones monitoring him the entire time. Ghost Zone or Human Plane, some things were the same, but only a few. As soon as the guards switched, he began counting to one hundred in his head. At fifty, he stood up. Eighty was when he pretended to be casually hanging around the front of the cell. At number one hundred he reached out and froze the two guards whole. He patted them both down in search for the keys. Once he located the keys, he hastily unlocked his cell and bolted out into the air.

Danny remained visible as he floated near the ceiling, just like he had whenever he visited the room. He shot down the halls, barely stopping to check whether or not the coast was clear. As he flew in the direction of the room, he checked the ring of keys. After going through what seemed like a hundred keys he found one that he vaguely recognized as the one he saw the Observant use over a year and a half ago.

He ventured down into the depths of the darkness and stopped dead at the door. The loose keys jingled together as the main one was inserted and turned. As soon as the door was unlocked, Danny backed up and delivered a solid kick to it.

Inside, the boy had been curled up against the wall, trying to get sleep to consume him. He jolted awake seconds after Danny's foot connected with the door, making it swing all the way open and hit the wall. Light poured into the space, chasing away the darkness. The boy pushed himself up onto his feet and stood still, waiting for whatever it was to show itself. When Danny stepped into the light the boy stepped back cautiously, not recognizing the being in front of him. His hair was no longer past his back, but appeared to have been violently cut just a little above his shoulders.

Danny walked briskly towards the human who in turn backed against the wall, his body shaking as he waited for punishment. "Don't worry. It's me."

At the sound of his voice the boy's previously grim expression brightened. He threw himself at Danny, desperately wrapping his arms around the spirit and throwing him off balance. They landed on the floor with a dull thud. Danny pushed the boy off gently, slowly checking his body for any wounds or lesions. He found a group of scratches around the boy's shoulders mixed with a few gashes that seemed to have started to heal. There was also a deep black and blue mark covering the skin all the way around his neck.

"Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" Danny took the boy's face in his hands, inspecting it at every angle.

The boy laughed lightly. "I'm fine. Was I supposed to be?" He asked, not making any gesture to remove Danny's hands.

"I... I thought they were going to mutilate you..." Danny pulled the boy into a hug, wincing slightly when hands touched his still tender back.

Danny let go of the human and went to examine the chain links. _It's so much shorter..._ He followed the links back to the boy's bloody ankle. "What happened to you?" he asked, inspecting the ectoplasm on his palms. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think you normally ooze green."

He made eye contact with Danny who looked away after a short moment. "It's... nothing."

With a twist of another key, the shackle broke open, releasing the boy from its rusty grip. "Come on. I'm getting you out of here." Danny hastily extended his hand.

At first the boy went to take it but retreated, as though unsure. "Out...of here?"

"What's wrong? Don't you want to be free from this prison?"

"Yes, but..." The boy ran a hand through the tangled mess on his head. "This room is all I've known. As long as that door is shut I can't be hurt by anything out there..." He turned his attention to one of the dark corners, worried and ashamed of what Danny would think of his thought process.

"You're right. It'll all be new and confusing and potentially dangerous at every turn." The young spirit took the boy's chin in his hand, "but I'll be there with you every step of the way." Danny trailed his thumb over the boy's lips and smiled. The boy smiled back, gingerly taking Danny's hand.

Danny pulled the human to his feet and brushed some dirt off of his body. He took a step back and looked the boy over who in turn wore a questioning expression. "What?"

Danny merely shook his head. He clasped his hands together and started to gather energy between his palms. Green light shined past his fingers. As the energy began to solidify he pulled his hands apart and within was a large black shirt with a white trim. Danny shook it out and motioned the human close.

"Lift your hands up over your head." The boy did as requested and Danny gently pulled the giant tee shirt over his head. The cloth fell over his upper body and he was both fascinated and extremely uncomfortable. As he observed the fabric, Danny created a pair of boxers and helped the human pull it on. He took a step back and looked the boy over. "There, much better."

"I don't understand." He pulled at the clothing, trying to get it away from his sensitive skin. "What's the point of these things?"

"Those are clothes. Humans and ghosts." He pulled at his turtle neck and lifted up one of his legs to show his dark cargo pants. "We all wear these to cover up our bodies. It keeps humans warmer and it has become socially unacceptable to go around without any."

Although still confused and visibly uncomfortable in them, the boy stopped tugging at the clothes.

"These won't last very long though. They're made out of my ectoplasm, so as soon as we reach the Human Realm we'll have to get you something more suitable." Danny extended his hand again and this time the boy took it without hesitation. "We need to hurry if we don't want to get caught."

Together, they walked out of the room and shut the door behind them. They took a few steps forward until they reached the stairs. Danny looked up the stairway and mentally pictured the long way out. Walking wouldn't be much of an option for the human, having never really had a chance to exercise his legs. "Do you trust me?"

The human nodded suspiciously. "What are you doin-woh!"

Danny lifted the human into his arms; one arm under his knees and one on his upper back. He slowly flew to the ceiling. Terrified, the boy wrapped his arms around Danny's neck and buried his face into the ghost's shoulder. Within seconds they became invisible. He held on tightly as the young spirit soared through the air, turning sharply at the corners and bolting down the hallways.

They turned at another corner. Danny could see the exit just a few halls down. He rushed for it when Walker and Bullet came from one of the side rooms, unknowingly coming in between them and their freedom. Danny swore under his breath and retreated back behind the wall. "Stay here. I'll be back." He lowered the boy to his feet and peered around the corner.

The boy's eyes widened at the thought of being left alone, even for a second. His hand shot out and grabbed Danny's sleeve in an iron grip. "No... please don't leave me..." he said, the boy's body shaking as he pleaded for him to stay.

"I won't be gone long. Only a few seconds." The boy vigorously shook his head in disapproval. Danny stared down at his pleading expression. He could feel the boy's grip tighten on his sleeve as he tried to take a step back. Sighing in defeat, he leaned in close, gathering the trembling human into a hug. He leaned away to look into the boy's eyes. "Alright. You win." Danny cupped the boy's cheek with his palm, instantly feeling the human's warmth crawling over his skin. "We'll find another way." He offered his best smile but deep down he wasn't sure how much longer they had until someone noticed one of them was missing. Then a whole search would be instigated against them. He couldn't explain it, but he felt deep in his core that if they didn't get out soon...

Danny's mind was dragged back into the present when he felt the boy suddenly tense in his arms. He leaned into Danny's chest, hiding his face, clutching the cloth in his shaking hands. It was then when Danny realized there were footsteps coming towards them from around the corner. _Walker and Bullet are coming!_ Acting on impulse, he scooped the boy into his arms and bolted back down the hall from which they came.

After rounding many corners and having to retrace his steps a few times they came upon the prison ward where Danny had been previously escorted through after his retribution. The boy looked up from Danny's shoulder into the cells as they slowly floated by, invisible. It didn't surprise him that they went by unnoticed, but as they passed one specific cell he was caught off guard. The boy flinched away from the bars, burying his face against his ghost's neck again. Danny's eyes drifted over to where the human's attention had been seconds before.

Inside the cell stood a burly, gray ghost who wore old fashioned Crusade-like clothing. The prisoner's arm appeared to be slowly reforming from a recent injury. It took a few moments for him to realize that the ghost was staring directly at them. Instinctively, Phantom tightened his hold on his human. Noticing the act, the ghost smirked. "I see that hasn't changed." The prisoner's teasing smile quickly died as he watched the vibrant green eyes, locked with his, flash red.

He couldn't decide whether he wanted to get as far away as possible from this particular ghost or to get closer and listen to what he had to say. "What are you—" Danny whipped his head back, staring down the empty hallway. Further down, he could hear a large commotion making its way towards them. It was time to go. "Hold on tight." In response, the boy wrapped his arms around the ghost's neck, hooking his hands around his wrists. Danny leaned his head against the boy's. He smiled, "Let's get you out of here." After glancing over at the prisoner once more, he took off through the rest of the cell block towards the exit.

* * *

It wasn't until they were a couple of hours from the Observant's realm did they finally slow down. Danny twirled his fingers through the human's hair. "Welcome to the Ghost Zone," he whispered into his ear.

The boy lifted his head and looked around the Zone for the first time in his life. His eyes darted in every direction, trying to take in as much as possible. As they passed through a tunnel, he stretched his arm out to feel the gooey edges. The boy smiled, eyes filled with awe, as they floated through the Ghost Zone.

Danny couldn't help but smile. The human that he felt some bizarre connection with, the only one who captivated his interest, was safe and in his arms. He had done it, they were both free... _Almost. You're not out of the woods yet._ The thought surprised him, clawing its way to the surface from the depths of his mind. He quickly glanced around for something that might have set it off, but there was nothing. It gave him the feeling of being watched. He suddenly wanted to pick up the pace and just get out of there.

"What are those doors?"

Danny stopped. His eyes followed the boy's hand until they rested on a spiked door a few yards away. He hadn't even noticed when they began flying through a field of doors.

"They're lairs. Every ghost has one. They're kind of like personalized sections of the Ghost Zone." He flew close enough to a few of the doors to allow the human to touch them. His fingernails scrapped across from side to side, over all the little dips and designs.

"What's yours like?" The boy retracted his hand and stared up at Danny with excited curiosity. "Can I see it?"

"Uh... I actually don't have one."

The boy lowered his head, his excited smile fading. "Oh... I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm not. Besides, it just means that the entire Ghost Zone is my home." Danny rubbed his hand on the boy's back in an attempt to reassure him. "Come on. Don't worry about it. Besides, even if I did have my own door I doubt I'd ever be allowed anywhere near it after this."

"What do you—"

"We're here."

In front of them floated a long piece of rock that lead to a mystifying green swirling portal. Danny calmly flew down and helped the boy onto his feet. At first he stayed still, stomping his foot down on the surface. "It won't crumble, ya'know." Danny had to stifle a laugh after he saw the glare he received in response.

The human took a few steps forward, testing the ground. Finally his eyes drifted up, following the road like structure. "What... what is that over there?"

"That's the Fenton Ghost Portal." The young spirit walked up beside the human, interlacing their hands. "It's our way out."

"So..." The hand around Danny's tightened. He could feel it shaking in his. "On the other side of that is the Human World?" The boy's attention, which was previously locked on the portal flicked back to the ghost at his side. He stared into the bright green eyes, not sure what he was looking for.

"I'll be with you every step of the way." He repeated with a reassuring smile. After a few moments, he broke the tense silence. "Are you ready?" Danny watched as the human's eyes danced back to the portal. He slowly nodded, as if unsure if he truly was. Danny glanced over to the portal, flashes of his last trip coming back to him. To think he was willingly choosing this portal instead of any one of the natural portals after almost being obliterated on his return to the Ghost Zone.

From the information he received from Clockwork, Danny only vaguely knew what advances the Fenton family had made. The inventions that were on the market and frequently used by the Guys In White were the ones he knew best. Although no great inventor releases all of their successes for use. He was also aware that the boy had an older sister. Having never met her, she was a mystery except for a basic description from Johnny 13. For the time being, telling the boy that these were his parents would have to wait. At least until he was capable of truly reentering their world.

Invisibility overcame the two and they took their first step towards the portal. They stood right in front of it when they came to a halt. Danny turned back to the human who was visibly shaking. "I... I don't... th-thin..k..."

"You _can_ do this. It'll be fine." He gently cupped the boy's cheek in his free hand. "Trust me." The boy gulped, readjusting his hand in the ghost's. His lips moved but no sound came out. Hesitantly, they both stepped through the portal dividing the two worlds.

Bright lights blinded them as they arrived on the other side. The hustle and bustle of lab work absolutely surrounded them. On the tables were numerous beakers filled with ectoplasm, a few of them occasionally bubbling over. "Jack, hurry, they're ready!" A woman in a blue jumpsuit put down her scalpels in order to help her husband with his own experiment.

On the other side of the room stood a very big man in an orange jumpsuit. When he heard his wife's voice he quickly turned around to attend to the overflowing beakers. Multiple beeping sounds erupted into the air as ten different pieces of equipment all went off at once. Before separating again, Jack wrapped his arm around his wife's waist and delivered a quick but passionate kiss to her lips. "Thanks, Mads. You're the best." Without missing a beat, they both returned to their own work on opposite sides of the basement.

The newly arrived ghost and human pair stood frozen in front of the portal, neither daring to make a sound. Whenever one of the scientists had to cross the lab, the two new arrivals leaned back to get out of the way, even though there was plenty of space between them. Every movement was accompanied by a loud sound that echoed throughout the basement. One in particular, a mini explosion from one of the guns caused the boy to jump. Clinging to his ghost's back and having a death grip on his hand, the boy buried his head between Danny's shoulder blades in hopes of blocking out the lights and sounds.

In a vain attempt to comfort the shaking human, Danny reached back and patted the boy's head. "It's going to be fine," he whispered, preparing to walk right through the lab and past the overly energetic scientists. "Just stay close to me."

With the boy practically hiding behind him, Danny gingerly took a step. As soon as his foot hit the ground a bolt of electricity shot up from the floor and traveled through his system. What seemed like a million alarms blared as the shock entered his body. Danny doubled over, clutching his core with his free hand as the volts seemed to target his very being. _Well… that's new_. Lifting his head, he stumbled back. His vision was blurry with spots and his head spun.

It only took a few seconds for his awareness to fully return. Lights were flashing red in all corners of the room and the scientists were no longer working. Instead, they stood between them and the door, guns loaded and pointing wholly at him. Danny stiffened, _how?_ His eyes followed Maddie's hand as it traveled up the side of her head to turn on a switch in her goggles.

"You can stand there pretending to hide all you want, ghost! It'll just give us a clearer shot!" Danny's eyes grew wide at the realization. Neither boy knew which one of their hands was the one shaking. "That's right ghost, we can still see you." Maddie smirked, the pure joy of bringing down another ghost flooded her system.

"Prepare to die, ghost!" Jack hollered. Maddie quickly looked the ghost over through her scope. Obviously male, but he looked like he could be a normal 15 year old boy… the same age as her son would have been. Maddie adjusted her grip on the rifle-like Fenton weapon in her arms.

Without moving an inch, Danny's eyes warily found their way to Jack who held what appeared to be an automatic shotgun with the Fenton logo on it. Subtly tilting his head to the side he whispered, "Yrrow t'nod-"

Seeing the vile creature's lips moving put her on edge. Typically when a specter was unwise enough to trespass in their own lab, as soon as the alarms went off and their barrels were pointed at it, the waste-of-space would attack. But this ghost was clearly up to something new. It wasn't lunging forward to attack or screaming at either of them in what her and Jack figured was a sort of ghost language. Looking the ghost up and down once more only gave her one more piece of information. "Who are you conspiring with ghost?! Show yourself!" Maddie watched as the ghost's arm moved behind its back, fingers twitching around another hand.

This was bad. There was no way he'd be able to move at his full speed and carry the boy at the same time. Danny was prepared to use himself as a shield if it came down to that. It terrified him. Everything that the Fenton's invented could do serious if not fatal damage to a ghost. They no longer wanted to capture and study ghosts. Interrogate and kill was the Fenton's main objective. All for the continuous search for their lost baby boy, the one cowering behind the very ghost in front of them. It had been so many years since the incident. Many other ghosts wondered if they were still searching, if nothing else, to find a body for closure.

The hands holding Danny's clothes shook violently as the Fenton pair raised their guns. _I have to get him out of here now!_ Two clicks and two red dots appeared on his body; one aiming for his core and the other at his head. "Thgit no dloh!" Two trembling arms quickly wrapped themselves around Danny's waist. Without hesitating, Danny crouched and shot into the air. As they phased through the ceiling he could hear the ecto-gun charging right before the trigger was pulled.

They reemerged into a living room. To their right was the entrance to the kitchen, to their left a set of stairs and behind them, the front door leading out. Before he had a chance to dash for the exit Danny seized up. They became visible and fell to the floor with two loud thuds and a curse. The human peeled himself from the ghost and rolled him over onto his back. "Ko uoy era? Gnorw s'tahw?" The boy placed a hand on the ghost's chest just as one would do to check the heartbeat of another human.

"Kciht oot si ria eht ,ffo s'gnihtemos ...tsuj ... thgirla m'I." Danny rested a hand on the boy's in reassurance. He could see the anxious look in his eyes. As Danny was the only thing in he boy's life that was positive, if anything happened to him the boy would be completely alone. Most likely captured and forcibly dragged by the hair back into the ghost zone to spend the rest of his life, if not executed upon return.

Danny pushed himself up from his elbows, gritting his teeth throughout the process. He opened his mouth to say something when Maddie kicked the lab door open and from behind her Jack pointed, aimed and fired his ecto-gun. Without even thinking or knowing where the shot was coming from, Danny pushed the boy away from him. He fell backwards to the floor as the shot hit Danny square in the back.

"Good job, honey!" Maddie reached into one of her many pockets and pulled out a cookie, handing it to her husband who gratefully munched on it.

They stepped out of the doorframe one at a time, each with a body in their scopes. The black haired one was still on the floor. His entire frame looked weak and dangerously thin for any creature. His arms wobbled as he tried and failed to push himself up.

Deeming that particular entity non-threatening for the moment, Jack turned his sights on the pearl white-haired ghost who had just extracted himself from the hole in the wall. "Stay still, ghost!" The specter rolled onto his stomach and warily stood. He lifted his head and Jack could see the fire burning in its harsh green eyes. There was no way it'd let them get another perfect shot like before.

Ectoplasm dripped from the ghost's back and head, dying a few strands an eerie green. A slow stream oozed from the wound. The substance covered the hole in the wall with a couple small splatters.

"This is the end of the line for you, ghost! Once we're done with you, it's your accomplice's turn." Jack's eyes quickly darted to the other entity. It gave off the proper expressions of terror. The hunter smiled, "Don't worry, ghost, you're next."

The white haired spirit became visibly angry, almost infuriated despite it's current condition. "Eid dna mih hcuot!" The ghost hissed. Its hands rose in front of its face. Green began to glow around it for an ectoblast until the color seeped back into the air. The ghost glared at them, angry and confused.

The Fentons smirked. "Pretty soon you won't be able to do anything, ghost," Maddie said. "The air in our house has anti ghost properties. Soon you won't be able to even move."

Slowly, its body slid into a fighting stance. The young spirit lunged forward, at the same time Jack and Maddie fired. The ghost dodged artfully every shot as it circled around the room. It screamed as it flew across the space with Jack right in its path. Maddie thought quickly and retrieved her ectostaff from her suit and slammed it into the ghost's back, sending it down through the floor. With one less entity to worry about for the time being, they both turned to the other intruder who remained unmoving.

The boy crawled away as the two scientists walked up to him. Maddie swung her staff, striking the ground right by the boy's hand, halting any further attempt to put more distance between them. Jack looked to Maddie, waiting for the decision as she inspected the entity up close for the first time. She gave him a nod and he raised his weapon to the boy's head. The tip of the gun pointed directly between his horrified eyes.

A click echoed in the room followed by the gun's steady charging. The boy closed his eyes and turned away, the gun following his movements. As Jack pulled the trigger Danny shot up from the basement. He quickly wrapped his arms around the boy and dragged him along as he flew through the ceiling. They disappeared just as the ecto-charged blast smashed into the floor, accompanied with a large explosion and burn mark.

The two intruders came up through the floor into a nursery. Almost everything was the same as it was at the time of the boy's birth. The walls were a baby blue and covered in dust along with everything else in the room from almost 15 years of inactivity. There was a crib in the corner, filled with little pillows and small baby blankets. However, the mobile was crushed on the ground, pieces of the ghost shaped ornaments scattered on the floor. The curtains were on the ground as if yanked from their proper position above the window. Danny wandered around the room, inspecting every inch while the boy, whose room it belonged to, sat in the middle. He picked up a pillow from the crib and turned it over in his hands. The name _Daniel_ was lovingly stitched into it, along with every other fabric covered object around them.

_"IT doesn't have a name. Once you name something you begin to get attached to it. As soon as ghosts name IT, they'll sympathize with it and won't be able to give their burden onto it solely and fully-"_

Danny looked up from the pillow and glanced over to the boy, to Daniel. He replaced the little pillow back inside the crib, his eyes scanning over the rest of the trinkets that had been waiting years for a child to enjoy them.

From the hallway, Jack and Maddie stood by the stairs. Each staring at the door to the room that the two intruders had invaded with tears in their eyes. Jack took a few steps forward when his wife called out to him in a chocked whisper. "I… can't." She clung to the wall, her weapon still at the ready in her arms. "That's Daniel's room…"

Jack embraced his wife. "I know, Mads. Doing this again- toying with our emotions like this is unforgivable." It was a quick hug for there was a serious piece of filth that they both knew needed to be dealt with. Jack headed toward the door, gun held tightly in his arms while Maddie stayed where she was, unable to go into the room just yet.

Without any hesitation, Jack kicked the door open, readying his weapon as his foot touched down on the ground again. "How _dare_ you _insult_ us by hiding in here!"

The black haired entity flinched, locked in his sights. He slowly raised his scope as he found the other spirit. Rage began to cloud his mind as he realized the ghost was standing by the crib, the contents disturbed. How._Dare._it! He pointed the ecto-gun at the ghost but his hands betrayed him as they shook. What if he missed and hit the crib? Neither him nor Maddie or Jazz could deal with another piece of Daniel destroyed. Unable to stand the risk, he averted his sights to the other entity in the room.

As his finger tightened around the trigger, the white haired ghost, again, did something he wasn't expecting. It moved in front of the other being as though acting as a shield. Although caught a bit off guard it didn't stop him for more than a mere second. His hands steadied and took aim. The look on the spirit's face was of pure determination whereas Jack's was full of rage and inner pain. The gun began to ring. The noise steadily grew along with the boy's eyes, fully aware of what that noise meant. "Prepare to meet your final end…"

The ringing was at its peak, "Ynnad!" The boy lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Danny's waist. At the sound of Daniel's voice Danny shot up into the air as the ball of anti ghost matter erupted from Jack's gun, slamming into the ground. Three more shots chased after them before they finally phased through the window.

Fresh and cold air smacked against them as soon as they were free from the building. Without any specific destination in mind, Danny picked a direction and continued that way. Feeling Daniel's arms wrapped tightly around his body he turned them invisible and flew through the evening sky. Unbeknownst to the pair, a girl watched them leave from street level before walking into the very same building.

"Mom? Dad? I'm home." The girl quietly locked the door behind her. She strolled into the kitchen, washed her hands and picked an apple from a basket on the table. A chunk of the apple was torn off as the girl peeked behind the lab door. "Mom? Dad? You down there?" Met with only silence she continued upstairs, her bag slung leisurely over her shoulder.

The apple fell onto the ground as she stood at the top of the stairwell. Down the hall the door to what was still her missing little brother's room was wide open, the old unused lighting inside casting a dull glow into the hallway. The number of times her parents entered the room was so small she could count the occasions on her fingers. Ghost attacks had significantly decreased in the past few years. The raw ectoplasmic entities most likely getting the hint that their own destruction awaited if they laid foot or tail in AmityPark alone.

She arrived at the doorway, her bag forgotten on the floor behind her. Her mother stood in front of the crib, a blanket held tightly in her arms. Her father stood beside her, one hand on his wife's shoulder and an ecto-gun in the other. "What happened?"

"A pair of ghosts came through here Jazzinpants. Trying to terrorize and mock our family again."

It was then Jazz noticed the scorch marks along the wall and floor. Ghosts had come here before, purposefully entering this room just to rub salt into their wounds. Her parents had chased them every time, but they rarely shot once they entered the nursery. Jazz figured the two ghosts must have done something serious for her parents to shoot in Daniel's room.

"They got away didn't they?" She could see her mother's shoulders shaking. "Did… did you get any evidence on who they were, where they'll be or what they came for?" She didn't want to mention what she saw before returning home. How those two 'ghosts' flew off, one clinging desperately to the other as though he couldn't fly alone.

Jack shook his head. "No, other than the basic surveillance."

"Did they say anything?"

Maddie put the baby blanket back in the crib and turned away from it. "Yes, but it wasn't any human language."

"Why not use the Ghost Gabber then?"

"Great idea, Jazzerincess!" With a wide smile on his face, Jack grabbed Maddie and Jazz, dragging them to the master bedroom. He kicked the circular rug away, "Three to the OpsCenter!" He yelled enthusiastically. The three of them were instantly transported into the fridge where the door automatically opened.

Jack, Maddie and Jazz all rushed over to the screens where Maddie sat at the controls and brought up the security footage. She flipped the switch for the Ghost Gabber to automatically translate any sort of ghost language into words they use every day. The system was much newer and improved from their first attempt at the device.

After a little white noise and static, the footage started. It began in the lab. The three of them watched as the two ghosts, appearing only a little fuzzy on the cameras, took their first steps through the portal. They watched as the events unfolded, turning the volume up to the maximum as they strained to hear what the ghosts whispered between each other.

The two specters collapsed in the living room on the screen. "Why isn't that one affected by the air?" Maddie wondered aloud. Jack grunted to show his own curiosity in the observation. Jazz on the other hand wasn't as interested in the 'whys' her parents were asking. There was something about those two, the way that black haired one clung to the other and just the way they interacted in general.

She couldn't help but wince a little at the ear piercing crack that exploded through the speakers when the ghost slammed into the wall. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two as this was the first time she was able to see them on their own. _What would Daniel of looked like if he was here?_ The thought startled her. Why had that crossed her mind now instead of at any of the other times she thought about her missing little brother within the years. She shook her head, banishing the thoughts for now.

_"Touch him and die!"_ Venom dripped from every syllable. For some reason, neither Jack nor Maddie caught how angry the ghost had been at the time until they heard him in plain English. Jazz gaped at the screen as she continued to watch.

The white haired spirit had just been hit with Maddie's staff when the screens split, showing the lab and the living room at once. The ghost hit the basement floor hard. He rolled onto his side and lifted his head as he pushed himself up. The boy on the other screen looked like a terrified, cornered animal as the weapons were raised against him. A bit of red caught Jazz's eye on the other screen before the two merged together showing the two fly up through the ceiling.

The two intruders surprised her once more. Unlike past ghosts, they didn't immediately try destroying the only mementos they had of Daniel left. In fact, as one walked over to the crib she noted he looked… sad. Jazz hadn't noticed she had leaned closer to the screen until her father suddenly burst into the shot making her jump back. "Strange. That one hasn't moved, almost like it's unable."

"And the other knows and is protecting him."

"Jazz, sweetie, these things don't have feelings. In their world they're each on their own. They have no need for compa-" The buzzing of her father's gun roared through the speakers, causing them to vibrate from the intense volume. _"Danny!"_

Jack's hand smashed against the counter. Maddie's hands moved to cover her gasp. The tape continued to play, but the voice kept ringing through the room. Tears silently fell. It was like a new level of cruelty. Danny… Daniel. They leaned on each other as they cried. Jazz shut her eyes, feeling the warm tears crawl down her cheeks. That name was screamed in a panic without any thought. Even if it had been staged, plans go out the window when genuine panic sets in. Panic and anger dull the line between the truth and the lies. Did that mean it wasn't intentional? To rip their hearts out after they built the walls. After they thought they had finally healed. It was another thing to add to the list about those two that didn't match up with regular ghosts.

Out in the city, Danny flew just above the highest building. The arms wrapped around his waist shook from the chilly night air. His eyes scanned the structures below them, searching for a safe place to stay for the night. He had no idea if they were being followed either by the Fentons or by any one of the thousands of ghosts from the Ghost Zone. Surely one of them would have noticed the boy's absence by now and left to search for him.

Daniel's arms loosened slightly from Danny's waist before squeezing him again. Was he falling asleep? "How are you holding up?" The only response he received was a long yawn. Danny quickly flew towards the first semi-suitable building he saw. They phased through the dilapidated wall and floated through the halls. Picking a random room, they phased through the door and soon collapsed on the ground in exhaustion.

"We'll find a better place tomorrow," Danny said as he leaned his back against a wall. Daniel crawled over to him, resting his head on the ghost's lap. A quiet sigh of fatigue echoed seamlessly around the dark room. The only light source came from the half broken window partially blocked by ripped curtains across from them. Danny gently laced his fingers through the boy's hair, massaging his scalp.

They laid there in silence as the sounds of the night silently bounced off the walls. The boy's breathing was slow and even, Danny was sure the human had finally fallen asleep. He looked down at the calm expression on the boy's face. He would no longer be tortured by the many ghosts who came to him. He could finally be free of it all and have a normal human life. A small voice quickly brought him out of his thoughts. "…Thank you." Despite being right next to the source, the words were so soft spoken and came lightly to his ears.

Daniel turned his head towards the ghost. Their eyes locked. He stared into the deep blue irises, wondering what they themselves were looking for in his green. "Just get some sleep." His thumb lightly trailed back and forth over the human's cheek. "It'll be a long day tomorrow." As soon as Danny was sure the boy was asleep, he began to twirl a lock of Daniel's long black hair between his fingers as he waited for dawn.

* * *

**a/n **Dealt with writer's block for a good number of weeks before I was able to throw myself back into this story. Hope it's to everyone's liking. Thank you to all who've left a review, favorited and/or followed this story. I appreciate it so much. Thank you Trance for helping me look it over and edit it, even a little bit helps :)

The ghost speech is just the sentences typed backwards, for simplicity and partially for my sanity's sake.


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